That One Stupid Day of the Year
by xStaticxTelevisionx
Summary: Alice cannot stand Valentine's Day (no news there). Nonetheless, the assorted Role Holders of the Country of Hearts have each given Alice a gift in the hopes of winning her stingy affections! (Not that she knows that.) Ace's gift, however, takes the cake. T because reasons.


**Valentine's Day fluff! Because why not? Honestly, I don't really ship this couple, but it's really fun to write. Also, this was more of a 1 a.m. rambling rather than a serious story, so if it's not much good, that's why. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;P)**

**-Static**

**/*\**

Alice hated Valentine's Day. Not for any bad reason, but it just…got to her. It reminded her of something, something she distinctly remembered as being very, very important, but she couldn't quite grasp onto the memory. Well, it didn't matter, because she still hated it, if for a vastly different reason at the immediate moment.

Alice was a patient person. It was not in her nature to be unkind or cruel or condescending. Today, she was all three combined. For the entire week preceding the dreaded day, Peter White insisted on bugging her. What part of "No.", "Not a chance.", "Get out of my face." Or even "******* *** *** ****!" Could the man not comprehend? She appreciated his devotion, certainly, but he clearly had no concept of personal space, which in 1800s England, was kind of a big deal. Neither did he understand the principle of mutual attraction. Also a huge turn-off.

Anyways, Peter was making her life much harder than it should be. The other day, he'd tackled her so hard all the clock parts she'd bought for Julius had broken. (She made him pay for new ones of course.) The day after, he'd deemed himself 'her personal escort' and followed her from the Clock Tower, around town, and back. (Creepy, no?) Yesterday, he'd attempted to talk her into going to the castle, and when she refused, used the old, "The Red Queen will kill me!" trick. She complied, but was livid upon discovering that the Queen had not actually ordered him dead. (Vivaldi had saved her from his company.) Today, he had the audacity to follow her into town, into the shops, and then actually continue into the Tower. As always, he was asking how he could make her love him.

"Peter!" She finally snapped, just outside Julius's door, "You cannot 'make' someone love you. As for whether or not you feel you've earned that love, quick recap. You _kidnapped_ me from my _home_. You threw me down a _hole_. You _forced_ me to drink something that I didn't know what it was. You abandoned me in a place where people shoot first and ask questions later. Now, you consistently stalk and harass me. Think about it all from an outside point of view." And she threw him out before he had a chance to respond. She took a deep breath, and walked into the kitchen. It had become routine to go make the Clockmaker a cup of coffee the moment she returned to the Clock Tower. It had come to even calm her down after having to deal with the insane residents of this ridiculous world all day. Coffee felt safe and familiar, even if Julius sometimes complained that she made too much.

She was silently estimating the number of points she'd get for this batch when she noticed Ace leaning on the Clockmaker's desk, chattering away. Alice grinned. Ace was like a walking smile, his constant happiness contagious. However, Alice made it a point to never be alone with him. He was good company when other people were around, but in private, the story was a little different.

"Ace! It's been a while, how've you been?" She asked politely, while Julius muttered something or other about the coffee – 92 points, to her immense pleasure – and listened while he told her about the adventure he'd been on while lost. He'd actually managed to end up near the borders of the mountain territory behind the Amusement Park. He explained that the place was actually taboo. There were mountain-dwellers who lived in tiny villages, with only one central city, but no Role-Holders or anything. The residents of the other territories weren't even allowed to speak with the faceless there. Needless to say, this forbidden mountain territory sounded as though she wanted to know more about it.

"Yeah, yeah. It used to be ruled by some guy called the Jabb-"

"Ace, don't you have somewhere to be?" Julius interrupted, and the knight protested,

"But Julius, I was just getting to the interesting part!"

"I don't care, the castle needs you." And Ace sighed,

"That's right; I have to help with the Valentine's preparations." He grumbled, "Well, see ya around Alice!" He waved, and was off. Alice turned to the Clockmaker,

"How long until Valentine's Day is over and done with?" The cynic looked at her over his glasses and smiled wryly,

"Too long." He answered. The Outsider found that she could not agree more.

/*\

If dealing with Peter for a whole week was work, then the dreaded Day itself was like running a marathon, swimming the English Channel whilst fighting sharks and having tea with Queen Victoria all in one hour: exhausting. Both physically and emotionally draining. Everyone and their mother in the country wanted to have some of her time for the horrendous day. They all wanted to give her presents, and they all wanted her favor. Why? Hell if she knew.

First up had actually been Julius. Normally, he wasn't one for gifts, but it was very much a pleasant way to start the day. He'd knocked on her door and informed her that he'd made both a pot of her favorite tea and coffee each, so that she might have whatever struck her fancy that morning, and wished her a happy Valentine's Day. She had chosen to have the coffee and save the tea for later, as Julius could make the bitter beverage much better than she.

Next up had been Gray and Nightmare. Gray had brought her a kitten. He said that Nightmare had told him that she'd been having dreams about her cat, Dinah, from back home, so he thought she might like to have a fluffy, non-talking, non-pervy companion once more. He was quite right. Nightmare had offered up a new dress. It wasn't her favorite color – purple suited her sister much better – but after the demon had explained that he noticed she hadn't actually gotten herself any new clothes since her arrival in Wonderland, she could understand his logic.

Next up was the Mafia. She didn't want to deal with Blood. Not today. After a week of Peter's ceaseless pestering, she just might kill the man should he say the wrong thing. Thankfully, Blood had found it in himself to be civil. She figured Elliot must've talked to him or something. Pity he couldn't be like that more often, she might be inclined to spend more time with him.

Either way, she'd been attacked by the twins first, as they'd been guarding the gate. The two had presented her with matching, palm sized boxes. Naturally, she was more than a little terrified to see what these two might consider reasonable gifts, but they actually weren't that bad. At least not as bad as she'd been expecting. Dum had shoved the box into her hands, saying that it was a necklace. It looked as though he'd tried to melt down a knife to create some kind of pendant. He apologized for the poor craftsmanship, but she told him she really liked it. It was clear the ten-year-old had put a lot of effort into it, so she'd wear it under her dress, as the chain was exceedingly long. As for Dee, he'd actually gotten her a proper knife. A butterfly, to be precise. He said he knew that "big sis doesn't like weapons" but she should have one just in case something happened. The Mafia had enemies, enemies who might try to hurt her if they knew she was friends with them, and Dee said that he worried sometimes. Alice was a little more adverse to this present, but she could not argue the boy's reasoning. She said she'd have him teach her how to use it later.

Blood and Elliot bequeathed tamer gifts. Blood had obtained for her tea from her home world. She gasped in shock, taking in the familiar crest and brand name, and demanded that Blood tell her how he'd gotten his hands on it. "We all have our secrets." He'd stated, winking at her devilishly. She'd been a bit frustrated, but seeing as the Mafia Boss was on his best behavior, she wouldn't demand any more information. At least not right now. She made a mental note to interrogate him later. Elliot had simply gotten her two hair ribbons. He'd stated that he knew some of the Role Holders had wanted to go a little over the top, so he decided to stick with something more practical, something she'd use every day. To her delight, they were both blue, though one appeared to have an embroidered pattern of…carrots?

/*\

Next up was the Amusement Park. Gowland's gift had been fairly predictable. Despite the man's blatant lack of musical skill, he insisted that he play his newest composition for her. It sounded like someone was skinning a cat alive, and as much as she, the Cheshire Cat, the park workers, and just about everyone else in Wonderland who possessed functioning ears would tell him that, he'd still play to his heart's content.

Boris's gift wasn't quite to her liking. It would seem that he conspired with Dee, and decided to give her a firearm. It was a handgun, fairly small, but looked quite modern. He said it turned into a bracelet, and he showed her how to make it shift. He said that should she need it, all she had to do was point and shoot. His excuse sounded just like Dee's. Wonderland was dangerous, she needed to be able to defend herself. She said she'd accept the gift, but would never use it. Boris was about to get chewed out when he also gave her a small box, inside a pair of fingerless gloves that matched her striped stockings. This appeased her well enough to get the cat out of a lecture.

Pierce had told her that he forgot about Valentine's Day and therefore, forgot to get her a present. He asked if a kiss would suffice. She left the insomniac passed out on his doorstep to nurse a lingering headache later on.

/*\

Last, but not least, Heart Castle. Alice had earned a small reprieve, as Vivaldi had been the first Role Holder to find her. The Queen had led her to her room, let Alice pick a stuffed animal to cuddle with, and told the maids to bring tea. Needless to say, Alice was enjoying her breathing room. She told Vivaldi about her new kitten and how cute it was, she showed her some of her gifts, and asked her opinion on the gun and knife (to Alice's chagrin, Vivaldi agreed with Boris and Dee). She'd gotten to have about an hour of rest before Peter started banging down the door to the Queen's bedroom, demanding to see Alice. He wanted to give her his present _now._ Alice looked at Vivaldi with pleading eyes, and the Queen sent him away, allowing her to rest a bit longer. However, Peter was consistently returning, and the Queen was tiring of his interruptions.

"Alice, We are sorry, but We cannot tolerate his whining any longer." She looked at the girl apologetically. Alice shrugged,

"Don't worry about it. Thanks for letting me to sit for a couple hours. My legs were starting to tire from all the walking. Happy Valentine's Day." She gently set the stuffed bear down, smiled at the Queen, took a deep breath, and walked out the door to confront the rabbit.

/*\

Heart Castle was in an uproar. Whatever Peter had done, it had Alice, _Alice_, threatening to kill any maid or card who dared speak to her. She even waved around her new gun to prove it. She would never actually hurt any of them – she made sure the gun wasn't loaded – but in that moment, there was no reason for any of them to know that. She was trekking to the front doors of the castle, weapon in hand, when she heard whistling spout from a nearby hall.

"Wow Alice, you finally got yourself a weapon?" She shot a glare at the directionally challenged knight.

"Yes. I did. And right now, I have few qualms about using it." For a minute he looked at her as if deciding whether or not he heard her right. Then he threw his head back and laughed.

"What made you so mad that you're waving around a gun?" He asked,

"Next time I see Peter, he dies." She growled simply. He nodded,

"That bad huh?" She didn't answer. "Come on, I didn't get to give you my present yet." Oh dear God. What would someone like _Ace_ have planned?

/*\

Alice had apparently forgotten her silent rule of never being alone with Ace. However in her defense, she'd been fairly traumatized, and for the first time since she'd met him, the knight knew exactly where he was going. Her curiosity turned to confusion when she realized he'd brought her to the Queen's stables.

"What are we doing here?" She asked, as he dropped her hand and walked over to a seemingly random stall. He asked the faceless stable boy if he'd prepared the horse as instructed, and the boy nodded, smiling. He passed the boy a few gold coins, and he scurried off while Ace grabbed the bridle.

"Remember a while ago, when you were telling Julius a story about your home?" He didn't allow for a response as he held the horse's head still. "The one about horses? You and your sisters were travelling somewhere with him and had been forced to sit in an open carriage. Your father had been riding a horse. You watched him walk and trot and gallop, and when you asked if you could do that too, your older sister had scolded you. She said you should abandon the thought, as it wasn't ladylike. You'd protested and said you'd love to learn how to ride like your father," he sounded as though he was reciting words from a book, "But after a ten-minute lecture, you gave in and agreed with your sister and said you were wrong. Then you told Julius that secretly, you'd still love to learn how to properly ride a horse. Well Alice," He pulled the animal out of its' space, "I'm going to teach you how. Happy Valentine's Day."

/*\

Alice had been shocked. She'd told that story to Julius randomly one night, when he'd been too lost in his work to really be listening. She hadn't realized that Ace was there until he'd made a comment about riding that Alice didn't quite understand, though instinct told her it wasn't really appropriate. She'd yelled at him, he laughed, and Julius threw him out for making too much noise. Alice hadn't thought about it since, but Ace had remembered, and he was right. Alice, being a Victorian-Era aristocrat girl from a prominent family, had been forbidden from riding horses unless it was side-saddle, and that was the most boring thing ever.

Ace had made her get on the horse bareback. Alice voiced her concerns, but Ace said that it was actually safer. If she were to fall off, the stirrups of a saddle could cause her to be dragged behind, where if she falls off bareback, she'd land on the ground and nothing would happen. Her pride would get a little wounded, but she'd be fine. Alice had looked at him nervously, and he assured her that she wouldn't fall off. For the first time since she'd met the guy, Alice felt that he was being genuine and honest when he said he wouldn't let her get hurt. She rather liked the feeling.

/*\

Once she'd gotten the hang of walking the horse, with Ace's coaching, he grabbed what looked like a really long rope.

"This," He explained, "Is a lunge-line. This is so that we can make the horse walk or trot or run in circles, if they need exercise and no one has enough time to work with them properly. I want you to keep holding onto the reigns, but also hold onto the base of the mane. I'm going to make her walk faster, and eventually trot and maybe even gallop." Her eyebrows scrunched up a bit, but she nodded, deciding to be brave.

Despite the fact that Ace was more-or-less a serial killer and the most feared man in all of Wonderland (even more so than Blood), he was a very good teacher. He explained things well and his instructions were simple. It took her half an hour to learn how to trot. She couldn't do it indefinitely, but once she'd gotten into the balance and rhythm Ace had been talking about, it was absolutely amazing. It wasn't a fast pace, not by far, but it was faster than running, it was faster than an open carriage, and the feeling of the wind running through her hair and whipping lightly against her skin; the adrenaline pumping through her veins, with excitement rather than fear, it was a beautiful and addicting experience. The exhilaration was simply amazing. She didn't notice herself laughing from the sheer enjoyment, and she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when Ace called out a name and everything slowed.

"I think that's enough for the day." He stated,

"Too bad," Alice responded as she slid off the horse, 'Beth', Ace had called her, "I was having fun." Ace laughed,

"Good, that was the goal." She followed as he led Beth back to her stable. She watched as he brushed the animal off, getting rid of the dirt and sweat that had accumulated during the training.

"Hey Ace?" She murmured, almost shyly.

"Hmm?" He answered absently,

"Can we do this again?" She questioned, he paused what he was doing, almost looking shocked, but then he grinned,

"Sure! I'll let you know when I have a day off." She smiled widely, and was going to say something when, "But for now you look really tired, come on, let's get you to one of the spare rooms." He paused only to give the horse a sugar cube, and then grabbed Alice's hand, leading her into the castle.

/*\

Ace seemed to remember that he had absolutely no sense of direction. First, he took her to the kitchen. Then the throne room. After that, he'd led her to the courtyard where they held the Queen's beheadings. Ace pushed her back into the building before she could get too good a look. Eventually, he found a seemingly empty bedroom, and he sighed in relief.

"Here you go Alice, one spare room." He held the door open for her, and then noticed it was still daytime. He snapped his fingers, and the light disappeared. Alice lit one of the oil lamps. "I know you like to sleep when it's dark. Goodnight." And he shut the door behind him. Alice was left bemused. She hadn't thought Ace to be that considerate, especially not of her. But then, she hadn't viewed him as perceptive either, how wrong had she been on that front?

She took in her new surroundings, and figured that this room must not have been used for a while. There was a thin coating of dust on the dresser, and the sheets smelled faintly of…something. They didn't smell like roses, the way everything else in the castle did. It reminded her more of the forest. She figured it must've been old laundry soap coupled with the fact that the sheets had seemingly been sitting on that bed for a while. She shrugged and took off her hair ribbon. She placed the strip of cloth on the nightstand, crawled under the sheets, and extinguished the flame from her lamp. It wasn't until she woke up and decided to look for bath towels that she realized she hadn't been occupying a spare room. She'd investigated the dresser to find, not towels, but a couple of spare military uniforms. For a moment she was confused, then irked, and then a faint smile graced her face.

"Ace, I liked your gift most." She murmured to no one, and quietly left the room.

**/*\**

**So yeah. Fluff. This is the kind of thing I'm used to writing. Cute, lighthearted, and just a slight bit snarky. And as for what Peter did? I think you should all decide for yourselves and give me your theories, bwahaha. Let me know what you think! R&amp;R!**

**-Static**


End file.
